đź’ś Nicole
Sergei didn't make a sound.
The door opened.
His eyes widened.
He froze.
And then he was gone.
Just like that. No shout, no lecture, no dragging Leonardo off me.
He simply turned around and left, closing the door quietly behind him as if he'd accidentally walked in on someone praying, not… us.
My lungs finally remembered how to work.
"Oh my God....Sergei—"
I shoved Leonardo off me in a blind panic, nearly tripping as I scrambled toward the door. My heart was slamming against my ribs so violently it hurt.
I needed to stop Sergei. Stop him from telling Papa. Stop him from telling anyone. Stop him from breathing, maybe. I didn't know. My brain wasn't functioning.
But Leonardo caught my wrist mid-step.
"Nicole," he said sharply. "You can't leave this room like that."
"What...what are you talking about? I have to—"
